It is known, in the generation of electric power by nuclear energy, to provide a nuclear power plant with a high-temperature nuclear reactor in which a working gas, circulated over a closed path, is heated.
The working gas drives, via a turboset, one or more generators to produce the electrical energy.
A "turboset" as this term is used in the description can include one or more compressors connected by a common shaft to one or more turbines whose shaft is, in addition, coupled directly or indirectly to a generator. The compressors may be single or multi stage. The turbines may also be single or multi stage.
The closed circulating path for the working fluid includes one or more recuperative heat exchangers to effect a heat exchange between the expanded and the compressed working gases and for removal of residual heat before the compression of the working gas in the compressor.
A nuclear power plant operating with a closed working-gas cycle is described, for example, in German published application (Auslegeschrift) DT - AS No. 15 39 904 which operates in the manner described above but is incapable of effectively compensating for variations in the energy requirements of the consuming side of the system. In other words, with increasing energy demand or decreasing energy demand, the efficiency of the plant drops markedly.
In order to improve the efficiency of such a plant it is obviously necessary to be able to, in short order, increase the available generated power or decrease the power which must be generated. Furthermore, the conventional system as described in the aforementioned patent and others of similar type are extremely expensive both with respect to the capital cost and the operating cost.